Handheld Peristaltic Meat Injector for Continuous Flavor Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing meat injectors lack a portable and continuous solution for delivering flavoring or basting materials deep into meat and poultry, often requiring a power source and not providing a steady flow of liquid.
Innovation Solution
A handheld, battery-operated meat injector with a peristaltic pump that uses a rotatable carrier with rollers to compress an internal conduit, providing a continuous and steady flow of liquid through a needle for deep penetration into meat, eliminating the need for a power outlet and using food-safe materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional meat injector is used, then flavor can be added to meat, but it requires a power outlet and does not provide a steady continuous flow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical pump system with an electric motor-driven peristaltic pump mechanism. The motor rotates a carrier that moves rollers along a circular path to compress the internal conduit, creating a steady continuous flow of liquid without requiring manual operation or connection to a power outlet during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a peristaltic pumping mechanism where rollers compress the internal conduit in a sequential manner along the circular path, creating hydraulic action that propels liquid continuously from the reservoir through the needle. This hydraulic principle enables steady flow delivery without mechanical valves or complex control systems.
2Productivity
If a peristaltic pump with rotatable carrier is used, then a steady continuous flow is provided, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a circular path for the rotatable carrier and rollers, creating a smooth continuous motion pattern. This curved geometric design allows the rollers to sequentially compress the conduit in a circular sequence, providing steady continuous flow while maintaining a compact and relatively simple mechanical structure compared to linear reciprocating pump designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The peristaltic pump mechanism maintains continuous useful action by having multiple rollers sequentially compress the conduit in an unbroken circular sequence. This continuous cyclic compression ensures uninterrupted liquid flow from the reservoir through the needle, eliminating idle periods and maintaining constant delivery rate throughout operation.
3Manufacturing precision
If flavor is injected deep into meat, then penetration is improved, but it requires specialized equipment not available in portable form
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces bulky traditional injection equipment with a compact electric motor-driven peristaltic pump system. This miniaturized mechanical system maintains the capability for deep flavor penetration through controlled liquid injection while achieving portable handheld dimensions that can be easily operated without specialized equipment or power outlets.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient and continuous injection of flavoring or basting materials into meat and poultry, ensuring deep penetration without the need for long wait times or surface-only flavoring, while being portable and easy to use.
Implementation Method 1
A pump within the housing comprises a plurality of rollers mounted on a rotatable carrier for carrying the rollers in a substantially circular path, the rollers positioned for engagement with the internal conduit. The pump further comprises a pump cover positioned over the plurality of rollers and configured to compress the internal conduit as the rotatable carrier carries the plurality of rollers in the substantially circular path.
Data Source
AI summary
A handheld injector is provided for injecting liquid, such as flavoring or basting material, into meat or poultry. The injector includes a pistol-shaped housing which encloses a battery-powered motor for constant-rate delivery of liquid from a peristaltic pump. The injector also includes a fluid conduit within the housing through which liquid is pumped from a reservoir of liquid to a needle for injection into the meat.